Princess of Olympus
by warrior of camp half-blood
Summary: Caitlin Hancock had lived a quiet life with her father until learning she is a demigod. After being taken across country to Camp Half-blood she begins to discover her potential. She meets her mysterious mother who left when she was still a baby-someone nobody expected. How can she continue on knowing who she is and meet the high standards of others, all while challenging her fate?
1. The Beginning

**Hey everyone! I just want to clarify something early on... Percy Jackson is mine! (Just kidding, not really :D).**

 **This is my first time publishing online so I apologize in advance if something is wrong. I would love any feedback from you on how to improve or if you have any ideas, would love to hear them! I don't own Percy Jackson-all the rights go to Rick Riordan. I plan on updating pretty regularly but I'm sorry if I can't once in a while; I'll try my best, though. Please read and leave any comments. Enjoy!**

My name is Caitlin Hancock. I am a demigod—part mortal human, part Greek god. But I am not the only one. There are others out there that are like me. We are all hunted by monsters and used as pawns by the gods. The mortal world has no idea who we are thanks to the Mist: a cloak that obscures our world from their eyes. We do our best to blend in while living among them. We love, go to school, and do other things regular teenagers do. That is, when we are not fighting for our life or at Camp. Saving the world is a regular occurrence with us. It is easy to become stressed or overworked with all the eyes on us from the gods and others. Even the ignorant mortals rely on us without ever knowing about it. Lots of us die. But those who survive are heroes and earn due respect. Many have family issues, sometimes being raised by a single parent or living with extended family.

I was actually one of the demigods who lived a fairly happy life at home with my dad. The two of us lived outside Telluride, Colorado, with the mountains as our backyard. Excluding the monster attacks, our small family lived in peace. I am Caitlin Hancock and this is my story.

* * *

The night before I left home there were dark clouds sagging in the sky, bringing with them the promising smell of rain. I had been unable to sleep due to the howls outside my bedroom window. It was uncommon for coyotes to venture this close to houses, but there seemed to be only one or two.

I was drifting asleep after being awakened by a rather close howl when a shattering of glass snapped me awake. With labored breathing I listened intently, hearing the crunch of glass under foot in the living room. The largest pane of glass in there was the sliding back door.

Terrified, I crept to the door and peaked out down the hall. Something large and black was sniffing at the couches. The thing was nearly as large as a hippopotamus. When it turned I swallowed a whimper—the eyes were startling red. Its ears swiveled my way and a low growl escaped its throat. _Where was Dad?_

As the beast slowly crept forward in my direction I stood frozen in fear. This must be some nightmare my mind had concocted; my head could sure dream up some wacky things when it was bored. Every muscle in my body begged to run in the opposite direction but I was somehow mesmerized by this thing in my house. The way the dim light reflected off its glossy black coat, how sharp the dazzling white teeth seemed, the large paws that splayed out with each step.

With it only a few yards away I shook myself fully awake and realized this animal I was admiring was going to kill me and rolled sideways as it lunged forward. Coming up I turned to find an enormous body slam into my chest. Pinned below the creature I could smell the stench on its breath and almost threw up on myself—it was stale meat.

"No!" someone yelled from the other side of the room. "Hey, you big dummy, over here!" The head turned up and a quick tune sounded. The animal was bound by vines that appeared from thin air, squeezed tighter and tighter until it popped. Dust fell, settling into my hair, my clothes, my eyelashes.

Too scared to move I lay there, letting everything sink in. A face appeared above me and steady hands hoisted me into a sitting position. The boy before me I recognized as a new kid from school. He had curly brown hair poking out under a raffia cap, bright brown eyes and a wisp of a beard growing from his chin, a set of reed pipes clutched in his hand. I didn't know much about him but we did have a few classes together.

"Grover, what…why…what are you doing in my house?" I managed to spit out.

"I was staying in the woods behind your house for this exact reason. Where's your dad?" he answered distractedly. I pointed to his room and led the way, stumbling down the hall. All the while I was telling myself that this could not be happening, that I must be dreaming or in a mental hospital or something. Miraculously, he had slept through everything. My dad could sleep through a hurricane after getting home from a hard shift at work. After shaking him awake and giving brief introductions I relayed what happened.

"Have you read the Greek myths before?" Grover began. "Well, those are real. That monster that attacked you, it comes from them. I know this sounds crazy but you have to believe me when I tell you all this." He took time explaining how Greek myths were real and the gods were still around and had mortal children. As a satyr he supposedly searched for these children and took them to a safe haven where they do not have to live in fear of monsters.

Then he said my mom was a Greek goddess.

I felt sick and had to sit on the floor. None of this was happening, right? Dad kept pacing and muttering how it all explained so much.

"Mr. Hancock, you know I'm telling the truth." Dad nodded while staring at the floor. "I can take her somewhere—to a camp—where she would be safe. She would get an education in defending herself. That is, if you're willing." I didn't want to go. _Please don't say yes, Daddy. Please don't._

"How far is it?" he asked after several minutes of silence.

"In Manhattan."

My dad was silent a moment, thinking. He turned to me, full to the brim with sorrow. "Go pack a bag with some cloths." I swallowed hard and stayed my ground. "Caitlin, I don't want to do this anymore than you do. But I want you to be safe. I want you to be able to defend yourself, more than what I can teach you," he said quickly as I opened my mouth. "Now go pack a bag."

"We can leave in the morning?" Grover offered. With a nod Dad finalized the decision. Hot tears pricked my eyes and I turned away, not wanting to cry.

After helping us clean the mess in the living room Grover crashed on the couch. I lay in bed, not wanting and not able to sleep. I hugged the stuffed dinosaur that lived on my bed. I didn't need it to sleep with but tonight was an exception. Dad said was from my mom when I was a baby. My mother who apparently is an immortal, all-powerful Greek goddess. Anger bubbled against her for leaving us alone. Dad didn't deserve to be left to raise a baby by himself. Who is she, anyways?

I procrastinated getting up until the rising sun shone through the curtains and Dad knocked on the door. Sighing heavily drug myself into the shower. Then I packed an old backpack with extra pairs of jeans, a couple t-shirts, toiletries, socks, hat, waterproof and extremely warm jacket, extra sneakers, and my faithful stuffed dinosaur.

I pulled on my sweatshirt and hiking boots, stuffed my phone and wallet into my pocket and I walked out into the living room. Dad was in the kitchen preparing breakfast while Grover crunched on aluminum cans. We ate in silence, me taking in possibly the last morning home in a long time. Everyone took time, packing extra snacks and whatever else may be needed. I used the bathroom four times, trying to delay what was soon to come.

After disappearing for a moment Dad emerged from his room and pressed into my hand a small locket on the end of a silver necklace.

"It was your mother's," he said. "I was waiting for the right time to give it to you." Inside was a picture of the two of us at the beach, on the other side was a photo of a younger Dad, a baby and a woman, who must have been Mom.

"I don't want to go, Daddy," I said, sniffling. "I want to stay here."

"I know. You know I want that. But like I said before, there are some things I just can't teach you." I nodded reluctantly. He bent down and gave me a gigantic bear hug, a kiss on the forehead. "Bye, Honey. Be safe and keep in touch." I returned it, and with a heavy heart I walked out into the morning, glimpsing a last sight of the mountains through the broken sliding door as the front door closed.

That was the beginning of my new life. I wish I knew what would happen later.


	2. The Start of Something New

**Hi everybody! Thanks for continuing to read my story. I know that fist chapter was not the most exciting but it leads up to what happens now. This is more of a filler chapter but has a few important details. Please read and leave a review and if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them! Enjoy! :)**

I ran up the hill to Camp Half-Blood, followed by a pack of black dogs with glistening red eyes and razor sharp fangs. I stumbled and Grover grabbed my hand and helped me up, but not before one of the dogs sank their fangs into my lower leg. I ripped free and felt something warm trickle down my leg. Looking down I saw blood gushing from my calf.

"Come on! When we get over the hill we'll be safe!" Grover pulled me up. We stumbled past a pine tree. Looking over my shoulder I saw the hell hounds pounce but they bounced back, like hitting an invisible beach ball. Exhausted and scared I tumbled down the hill and blacked out.

My view was foggy when I opened my eyes. I was resting in a bed with curtains pulled back, allowing sunlight to filter in. There was a man sitting at the end of the bed, someone standing by the door, and Grover looking out the window.

"Are you alright, my dear?" The man asked.

"I think so. Ouch!" I felt down my leg to where that hound had ripped the flesh off. There were layers of bandages.

"Try not to move too much. I am Chiron, camp activities coordinator," he introduced himself, holding out a hand. I shook it, that name ringing a bell.

"Chiron..." I looked at the man silently standing at the door. At first I thought I must have a concussion because eyes covered him from head to toe. The longer I stared the realization sank in that they were real. "You're supposed to be the centaur that trained heroes." After a week with Grover, traveling across the country with monsters on our tails, I was slowly beginning to accept Greek mythology as real and—whether I liked it or not—a part of my life.

"I still do," he replied.

"Right, sorry," I said not very apologetic. "If you really are Chiron, then where is your horse body?" I blurted out.

With an air of leveled patience he stood up. It was not a chair he had been sitting in, but a wheel chair. In his full centaur form his head brushed the ceiling. The top half was a man in his mid-forties, the bottom a white stallion. "You, Caitlin Hancock, are a demigod. Part Greek god, part human. Grover is a satyr that was sent on a mission to find demigods like you and bring them here, to Camp Half-Blood, as he has already informed you."

"Then those—Grover said they were hell hounds—can't get in here?" I asked, still skeptical.

"Yes. They are forbid to come into the camp borders, yet sometimes campers give them permission to enter. They feed on half-bloods like yourself."

"How do we fight them?"

"You learn to fight here; here you are safe."

At the word my heart longed to be back home where I never had any doubt about being safe and protected. "Speaking of _safe_ , how did I get in this bed?" I had trouble recalling anything after passing the pine tree.

"You rolled down the hill, leaving a trail of blood in the grass," Grover said, crunching into an aluminum can. "Some campers from the Apollo cabin ran over and stopped the blood flow. Then Argus picked you up and brought you into the big house."

"Thanks," I told the silent man. He grunted and nodded.

"Any other questions?" Chiron asked me. I had a million, but didn't know where to start. I shook my head. "I need to get down to the archery fields. Grover, would you mind showing Caitlin around?"

"Wait," I called, "who is my mom?"

He paused with a hand on the door. "That I cannot say. Hopefully we will learn within shortly of your arrival." And with that Chiron left the room and I passed out once more.

Grover gave me something called ambrosia to eat, saying it would help my leg heal faster. The taste reminded me of s'mores my dad and I would make while camping. When I felt ready to get up Grover helped me stand, supporting most of my weight. It was a slow walk down the stairs with a bad leg. Once out on the porch I was able to see the whole camp. There were archery fields, where Chiron was teaching, a sword fighting arena, strawberry fields, an outdoor pavilion with tables, 12 cabins in a U shape, a climbing wall that was shaking and spouting lava, a canoe lake, sand dunes hiding a stretch of beach, and a fire pit.

I let Grover lead me around. I was on autopilot, head swiveling around to take in everything at once. _This is not real_ , I kept telling myself. _This is not real._

"This is the Hermes cabin," Grover said with a dramatic wave of his arms. It was wood with a caduceus over the door. There were a BUNCH of people in the cabin. "This is where the half-bloods that have not been claimed by their parent go." With a reassuring smile and squeeze of the hand Grover stepped into the sunlight and headed off, leaving me standing by myself in a room of strangers.

A boy who looked as though he should be in college came forward. He had an athletic frame, sandy hair and blue eyes. A scar drawn along the left of his face from eye to chin. He was very attractive but I brushed it away. _This guy is how much older than you?_ I mentally chastised myself. _He probably already has a girlfriend. It could never work anyways._ "I'm Luke," he stuck out a hand. "This is cabin eleven, Hermes. He isn't picky about who stays here so any new, unclaimed or children of the minor gods are here. You eat with us, sleep with us, and do the activities with us."

"Are many people not claimed?" I asked, nervous of the answer.

"Not many. Most are claimed within a month of arriving." Noting my nervousness he smiled. "It doesn't happen often, though. Someone like you, I think you'll be one of the important gods." He showed me to a small space on the floor where I could sleep and put my things down. I sat down heavily and shrugged my backpack off, watching everyone else. The bell tolled for dinner and everyone marched out, me in the rear.

I followed suit, getting what I wanted and scraping a portion of it into the fire. _Please tell me who you are,_ I thought as the smoke drifted upwards.

Luke sat beside me and explained the daily schedule. "Hey, don't worry about it, you'll be fine after a week or so. Just stay away from the Ares cabin," he nodded to a table seating several buff, scarred kids who spoke loudly while shoving their mouths with food.

After dinner people meandered to the bon fire. Luke had saved me a seat between him and two of his brothers who were introduced as Travis and Conner Stoll, who were identical twins. The flames shot 20 feet in the air, light colors roasting the first row of marshmallows.

Chiron stomped his hoof on the ground. "May I have everybody's attention? We have a new camper, Caitlin Hancock." He beckoned me to the front beside him. I limped up, regretting my decision. I felt awkward in front of all those eyes that were searching me; taking a read on me and thinking if I was a threat or not.

Suddenly there was a flash of bright light. When the darkness returned, people were muttering among themselves and pointing at me.

I glanced up and did a double take. Floating in the air above me was a white lotus flower, spinning and ablaze.

Chiron's brow furrowed with deep lines, his face seeming to age in a matter of seconds. He bent his front legs under him and everyone followed his example. I was completely lost until he announced, "All hail Caitlin Hancock, daughter of Hera. Queen of the heavens, goddess of marriage, lady of the peacocks."


	3. War and Battles

**Hey everyone!**

 **This is another filler chapter...I promise that the story will get exciting soon! The details need to be out of the way first. Thanks for continuing to read this far :) Please read and respond below...would love any recommendations and/or helpful feedback.**

I stood there, dumbfounded. I was the daughter of Hera? I knew that Hera was the goddess of marriage and because of that when she had married Zeus she vowed to be loyal to him. I never thought she would break that vow. But then again, I never would have believed the myths to be real.

The shock died away and people began filtering away to their cabins in groups of two's and three's. I stood next to the dying flames of the fire, looking like an idiot. A blond girl who looked about my age came up and offered to help move a cot into Cabin 2. She had startling grey eyes that seemed to glow in the firelight. Immediately I decided I would much rather have her as an ally than a foe.

"I'm Annabeth," she extended a hand. I smiled and shook it.

"How long have you been here?" I asked as we struggled to get the cot out the front door of the Big House.

"About five years, since I was seven."

"And you haven't gone back to see your family?" I asked incredulously.

She shrugged. "Not really. I was driven out and I have no desire to be living under the same roof as my stepmom anymore. I do miss my dad," she sighed, "he's a history professor."

"Sounds like a great guy," I offered. "Who's your mom, then?" I the question popped into my mind.

"Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle."

"Isn't Ares the god of war already?"

She gave me such a cold glare I thought for sure my clothes should be smoking or holes be bored into my head. "There's a difference between battle and war: battles are individual skirmishes while war is the whole overview. If more battles are won than lost then the war will be won and vise-versa. It takes more strategic planning to win one battle than a whole war." She gave me a look that said if I ever got them mixed up again she would give me more than a lecture.

We finally got the cot into the Hera cabin and placed it in a corner. "Thank you," I panted.

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else around Camp. Good night!" she called over her shoulder while walking out the doors, leaving me alone. The only light in the musty cabin with layers of dust and grime over everything came from a small sacrifice fire at the foot of the statue. In the middle of the building was a statue of a dark-haired woman with glimmering robes and a staff topped with a lotus flower. What startled me was the color of the eyes: a brilliant violet-the same shade as mine. I often was complemented on my eyes. Dad had said they were inherited from Mom and I see now that he was correct.

"Please help me," I said. The statue said nothing.

Crawling into bed there was a knock at the door. Opening it I found my backpack sitting on the steps. Someone from the Hermes Cabin must have dropped it off for me. I was not completely alone here; during the short time I had been here I had met people who were willing to be my friends. A small battle I had conquered in winning this war.


	4. The First Day

The next morning when I woke up, the first thing I saw was the statue of Hera glaring down at me as if to say _hurry and wake up already._ Groaning I got up and made the cot I was sleeping on. Changing and throwing my hair into a pony I followed everyone else to the dining pavilion for breakfast. I tried to ignore the stares from everyone as I got a plate of biscuits and gravy and scraped some into the fire.

* * *

My first lesson was Pegasus riding.

"Now remember to keep a strong grip on the Pegasus mane, but don't rip it out unless you want to be thrown off. They should be pretty responsive and hopefully not knock anyone off from a couple hundred feet in the air. Who wants to go first?" Silena Beauregard asked. No one raised their hand.

"Then I'm going to start picking. She closed her eyes and pointed randomly, directly at me. Biting my tongue I stepped up to the white horse and stroked its muzzle. Then I carefully swung my leg over its back and grabbed a clump of the mane.

"Gently kick the stomach to go up. Avalanche may get a little wild up in the air, so hold on tight," Silena advised. I gently kicked Avalanche's underside and we soared up into the air so suddenly I nearly fell off. The wind whipped at my hair and stung my face, but didn't mind. For the first time since leaving home I felt completely free, which was ironic considering one wrong move and I would go tumbling through the air. After a couple minutes of gliding, I directed my steed back down to the stables.

"Well done! You did really well navigating him for your first time!" Silena praised when we set down. Smiling I walked back to where the others were, not bothered now by their continuous side glances.

The day passed like that, classes with various people. During archery Chiron showed me the proper technique to shooting an arrow after showing me how to aim at the target. He chewed on his bottom lip, contemplating something.

Before dinner was the first time all day I was able to have any time to myself. Exhausted and sweaty I tossed my backpack over my shoulder, went to the bathrooms in the green and got a shower. The water was cold and by the time it finally began warming up I was walking out. In the green were a handful of kids from the Ares cabin that Luke pointed out last night. I tried to quietly slip past but to no avail.

"Hey, newbie!" one called, a buff girl with scars and a rather flat face. Slowly I turned around. "I don't think we've been introduced yet: I'm boss and you're going to do what I say."

"Or what? Are you going to have your dad come down and chop me in half?" I taunted.

Her eyes narrowed. "I think we need to teach you a rule in manners, Princess. Just because your mom is Hera don't think I can't and won't beat you up." Taking a step back I bumped into one of her siblings, noticing that they had formed a loose circle around me.

"I don't even know your name," I said in a leveled voice.

"Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares," she smirked, grabbing a handful of my hair and dragging me kicking and fighting back into the bathrooms. The others followed, laughing and pointing. Obviously this was not something new.

Clarisse forced me to kneel before one of the toilets. "Don't take this personally; every newbie gets the ceremonial swirly." As much as I resisted, Clarisse was too strong and pushed my head into the toilet water. To my horror the handle was flushed and water began moving. I was struggling holding my breath for much longer.

It was humiliating, getting my first swirly. I had hoped I would never be the victim of one but unfortunately fate seems to be against you at Camp Half-Blood. Reaching back I found Clarisse's arm and pinched hard at the tender skin. She jerked away, allowing me to pull my head up and take in a gasp of air. My previously damp hair was now dripping disgusting water onto my shoulders and down my back. Twisting around I met Clarisse's fist head-on—literally. It connected with my cheek, pain flaring through the left of my face. Lashing out I hit something soft and heard a grunt in response. I tried backing away but another camper grabbed me. With a kick backwards I was able to get free and ran out the door, straight into Annabeth.

She opened her mouth, looked at my soaked head and shirt, the others behind and stepped past me inside. I didn't want to know what went on and stayed outside, struggling to keep the tears from falling. A few people threw a glance my way and when I glared back they averted their eyes and hurried on.

When the Ares cabin came crashing out Clarisse fixed me with a murderous look. "Fight your own battles, Princess." Then they stalked off, shoving one another and laughing loudly.

Annabeth came back out and gave a sympathetic smile. "Are you alright?" I shook my head miserably, tears streaking down my cheeks now that somebody was showing me any kindness. She took me back in and gently wiped my face with toilet paper. "They do it to most every new camper," she said. I jerked when she touched my swollen cheek. Holding my head to the light she examined it. "Put some ice on it. There will be a bruise tomorrow." I nodded and cried harder, remembering all over again what happened. "Hey, it's okay, your good," she coaxed, pulling me into a hug. "Everything will turn out fine, just wait. One day Clarisse and her thugs will be running from you."

I sniffled, "thanks," for it was about all I could get out.

She smiled, "Sure thing." I got another shower, Annabeth insisting on staying and keeping me company. When I was fighting with the knots in my hair she left, coming back in a few minutes later holding an orange t-shirt I had seen the majority of other campers wearing. "Here," she held it out to me. Graciously I took it, noting the creases and stiffness. She must have gone and bought this from the camp store. "I checked the tag of your other shirt and saw you wear a medium?" I nodded and went back into the stall to change. In the mirror I looked like another camper.

"Thank you," I gave her a hug and she squeezed me back.

"After a while you'll learn to pretend they don't even exist. Are you ready for dinner?" she asked after a moment. "Let's see a brave face." I swallowed, sighed deeply and was able to walk out with her and to the pavilion.

At the camp fire that night I sat near the Athena cabin, who all seemed friendly. I even laughed with them, sang a few songs and ate a s'more then said my goodnights. "I'm so tired," I explained. Annabeth nodded and I headed to Cabin Two. The white marble glinted softly in the straggling rays left. I was hit with a blast of cool air from inside. Taking my time getting ready for bed, I crawled under the covers and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.


	5. Capture-the-Flag Fun

The next few weeks passed and I gradually fell into the routine. I improved at archery enough that I was able to hit the target. Chiron even said I could now use a bow in a dire situation. Annabeth taught me how to weave my own net to use with a trident, an ancient form of weaponry, she said. I found it incredibly easy to make nets and snares to entrap the enemy in. Annabeth said it must be because Hera uses snares on Zeus and his children all the time.

"Demigods tend to take on specific traits of their parents. Apollo is the god of archery, so his kids are good at archery. If their parent has a dislike for something then often the children have a fear of that," she explained. I wondered then if she feared something, though looking at her it seemed unlikely Annabeth would fear anything.

During sword lessons with the Hermes cabin I met the art of sword fighting.

"Come on, I know you can do it," Luke persisted when the sword had gone clattering from my hand again. Picking it up I attempted to disarm him. "You're not trying hard enough."

"I am trying!" I shot back. I didn't want to let him down by not doing this simple task but I was having trouble doing so.

"No, there's no motivation," he insisted, pinning my blade under his shoe. "If a monster came right now you would die because you can't defend yourself."

"No I would not!" I shot back. The frustration channeled through my left arm and faster than he was expecting I sent Luke's sword clattering to the ground. To my surprise he grinned, twisting the scar along the side of his face. "There you go, just a little motivation."

* * *

The day of my first capture-the-flag was my first Friday. At dinner each table was abuzz with what was going to happen after dinner. Obviously this was a common occurrence. When it was time for the two cabins to choose teams I was suited up in a helmet with red horse plume, breastplate and sword that was off balance in my hand.

"I choose Caitlin." My head snapped up and I walked over to cabin 6. Annabeth gave a faint smile as I passed her. On our side were the cabins of Athena, Hephaestus, Apollo and Hera. The other team consisted of Ares, Demeter, Dionysus, Hermes. Chiron went over the rules, warning if anyone was seriously maimed there would be consequences. Then Annabeth picked up the flag and we all followed her, screaming and banging on shields and armor, into the forest.

We placed it on a small island in the middle of the stream, where anyone coming for it would have to crash through the water. The Athena cabin gave brief directions and the counselors took their siblings away. "Caitlin, I want you to patrol west of the stream," Annabeth pointed as the conch horn blew. I paced, ears intent and eyes peeled the way Dad taught me. I was beginning to think this was a waste of time when a twig snapped. Raising the sword in my hands I stalked forward.

Luke and a couple of his siblings came out, stopping as they saw me. "You are not getting past."

"I think we are," Luke smirked. I raised my sword in time to deflect his blow. My body took over and I didn't think of what I was doing. The girl and other boy slipped past and continued on. Hopefully the guards would be able to stop them. Luke slammed the flat of his blade into my chest and I fell backwards. Not ready to give up yet I jumped back. Even though I was not nearly as experienced as he was I held my own against Luke…until I slipped up and he knocked me over.

"Nice try," he said, standing over me, "you were a bit sloppy on defense. We'll work on that next time." He ran off, leaving me cursing and spitting mad. I was going to wait for them to cross back over when arguing caught my attention. Creeping forward I saw through the brush three of Ares's campers standing guard before the flag. If I could draw them away then I could grab it.

Looking around I spotted a large rock and picked it up, throwing it against the tree. The guards scanned the tree line. I threw another and snapped some branches, hoping it sounded like several people. Two took the bait, raising swords and spears and walking forward. Just one left.

Sneaking around to the back I snatched the flag when no one was looking. As I dashed away someone yelled for me to stop. Nearing the stream I saw Luke holding our flag above his head. I was closer to our side than he was. Jumping over the boundary I raced past him, grinning.

The conch horn sounded as I crashed across the stream. Annabeth turned, surprise washing over her as I held the now red flag before her. The rest of our team came back and rushed me. "Caitlin, Caitlin, Caitlin," they chanted, lifting me up on their shoulders and parading around. I waved the flag high, grinning like a maniac. Chiron nodded when we passed. Even Luke flashed a thumbs-up in my direction. I was the hero of the night.

After that, I had no trouble fitting in at Camp.

 **This chapter is another filler :/ I had more interesting stuff but took it out because it didn't fit right now. I promise the next one starts getting into the action and more characters are introduced. Thanks for keeping up with my slow start. Please comment :)**


	6. Life will Never be Normal

There were several things at Camp that intrigued me but what really caught my eye were the kids practicing with a spear. I was watching them one day when Luke came up behind me. "Interested in that?" I shrugged, half listening to him. "Clarisse has one—an electric one that's a gift from her dad—she calls it _Maimer_ but everybody calls it _Lamer_ behind her back." I nodded, a dangerous idea formulating in my mind.

I was walking off the archery fields when I spotted the bulky form that could only be one person. "Hey, Clarisse!" she turned annoyed.

"I should pummel you now and save you the breath," she growled.

Ignoring her comment I swallowed and asked the question, "Can you teach me how to fight with a spear?" After starting at me a moment she burst out in laughter.

"Why should I do that?"

"Because I want you to. How does tomorrow morning sound?" Smiling I turned on my heel and walked away, a bit more bounce in my step than before. If I have the courage to ask for Clarisse's help with something I can do anything.

I was a bit surprised when I found Clarisse waiting at the sword fighting arena the next morning. A pile of spears lay on the ground beside her.

"I was wondering if you were going to show up," she stood, tossing a spare to me. "Don't make this a waste of my time." She showed me where to grip the shaft and how to balance the weight in my hand. That was all we had time for before she was called away by her siblings. "Tomorrow," she said.

"Tomorrow," I smiled.

The days passed quickly after that with lessons with Clarisse in the morning and a busy day afterwards. Each morning we reviewed from the previous days and added one or two new concepts. It was a bit intimidating working with her. If I made a mistake or did not understand she became frustrated. Often in the beginning she was barking orders at me by the end.

"Give me some slack!" I yelled at her once. "I'm not perfect and I'm not like you! You're supposed to be helping me learn!" I thought she was going to stab me or slap me or walk away but sighed heavily.

"Fine, I'll try to be more patient with you if you actually do what I tell you."

"Deal." We met each morning until she was satisfied with my form on both offense and defense.

"That's not enough in a fight," she continued, "You need to know how to throw. In ancient Greece soldiers carried spears, transitioning to swords after it was thrown." The next sessions were throwing stance and form. When I had convinced her I could throw in a straight line she had me drag two dummies from the storage. I placed them at opposite ends of the arena and practiced over and over. By the end of the month I was confident in the skills I was learning; by the end of the next month I was sparing against Clarisse herself. Word traveled around Camp and people would come and watch us.

"You're making quite the audience," she noted.

"They probably want to see you loose," I retorted, blocking her thrust with the shaft. I thrust the head forward, flipping the butt of her spear upwards. It came out to another draw like the day before. I was pleased with myself for doing so well in a short amount of time. Two months ago when I arrived I knew no one. Now I had many friends here and was still growing in knowledge. I still missed Dad and my quiet home terribly but felt this was where I belonged. As much as I missed my old life I knew I could never and would never return to it.

"You are dong incredible!" Annabeth caught up with me afterwards.

"Thanks," I smiled, "I could do even better but the spears don't feel right."

"Then I think it's time you had your own," she said with a glint in her stormy eyes. I followed her behind the Athena cabin to a small shed. Annabeth unlocked the weaponry shed and I stepped in, hit by a blast of foul odor; the smell of mustiness filled the dingy shed. "Anything you want to look at, feel free," she told me.

A glimmer in the corner caught my eye. Walking over I saw it was a shield the color of moonlight. The leather straps fit comfortably on my arm. I noticed a small quarter-sized circle on the back of the shield. Curious, I turned it and jumped backwards in surprise as the shield shrank into a bracelet with the small circle. Upon turning it counterclockwise, the bracelet expanded back into the shield.

"Where did you get this?" I asked.

Annabeth shrugged. "Looks like something the Hunters of Airtimes would use. But who knows? Go ahead and keep it if you want. Anything else?" I scanned the shed again and saw a spear, propped up in the corner. But it might as well have a spotlight on it, the way it stood out to me.

"That one," I pointed. Annabeth picked it up and held it out to me. The smooth shaft fit my hand nicely, not too wide or too narrow. The head fanned out from the tip, the celestial bronze glowing in the dim lighting. But the strangest and most beautiful thing was the handle: made of the same material and color as the shield bracelet, with the same intricate designs. "I love it."

Now we were talking.

Later that afternoon I was sitting on the stretch of beach looking out over Long Island Sound. I was writing a letter to Dad as I had done every week. I wrote about lessons with Clarisse, the latest capture-the-flag.

 _I really miss you and hope everything is going well. Please don't forget to feed my fish and tell them I will come home again. I love you and miss you. Stay safe._

 _Love, Caitlin XOXOXO_

I had told Dad in my first letter home I had been claimed by Mom, though I left out who she was. I was not sure yet how to break that news to him. He deserved to know.

 _P.S. My mom is Hera._

Skimming over it one last time I sealed the envelope, placed a stamp on it and put all the stationary items into the shoebox I used. After dinner of pulled pork (my favorite!) I told jokes with Annabeth at the fire. When the conch horn sounded for lights out I crawled onto the cot and stared at the ceiling. I thought life was beginning to fall into a routine for me once more, that there would be a sense or normalcy for the time being. I was wrong.

* * *

In the dream a boy who seemed my age was standing on the hill below Thalia's pine tree. Grover was lying in the grass, bleeding from his head. Through the rain was the Silhouette of a monster, larger than a man. A woman who I assumed to be his mother pushed the boy out of the way as the monster charged forward. The fear in his eyes was the same I had felt the night the hellhound broke through the glass door. He did not know what was happening or why, just that something was after him and would stop at nothing.

A roar jerked me awake, bolt upright in bed. It sounded close but not in the direction of the forest. It came again and I threw the covers off and poked my head outside. Others were doing the same, looking around in confusion with sleep clouding their eyes. A woman's scream sounded and I crept out. The action seemed to be coming from the other side of Half-Blood Hill. As I watched Grover appeared over the top, unconscious and in the arms of a boy. He staggered into the valley and onto the Big House Porch. Chiron came out, followed by Annabeth. They hoisted him up and took him inside. All I could see from this distance was a head of dark, soaked hair. As he disappeared inside I caught sight of his face and gasped.

He was the same boy as in my dream.

 **Hi! From now on the chapters should be more interesting. I am following the general outline of the PJO series but putting my own twist on it. Hope you like it. Please comment! :)**


	7. Not the Only One

The next morning I found Annabeth walking out of the Big House. "Who was that boy last night?"

She carried bags under her eyes, her hair was disheveled and her normally strong aura she projected was now bent over and exhausted. "Chiron says his name is Percy Jackson. He passed out on the porch and hasn't woken up yet."

"Is Grover going to be alright?"

She nodded. "He's fine. He said they were thrown from the car when lightning struck and hit his head on a rock."

"Do we know anything about him? What was all the commotion about last night?"

She raised an eyebrow. "The minotaur was chasing him, Grover and his mom last night. Using the bull's horn he managed to kill it. Why are you so interested in this new guy?" I swallowed, explaining about my dream last night. That could not have been what was happening a quarter-mile away, could it? "Maybe," Annabeth shrugged. "Demigods tend to have dreams of other events that are happening other places."

I attacked my morning lessons with vigor, trying to get the thought of the new boy out of my mind.

"I think the dummies are dead," Clarisse called. I stepped back from repeatedly impaling one and threw the spear across to the other; it sunk into the soft stomach.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Don't apologize, that was pretty good. Your form is improving tremendously. We have a few more minutes, do you want to spar?" I nodded and made the first move. Forcing everything into the back of my mind I watched Clarisse. By now I knew her style: deflect hard and attack with force. By rolling under her jab I came up kneeling. With a strong thrust upwards I knocked her spear out of her hands. The look she gave made me briefly fear for my life.

"Good job," she cracked a grin. "If you can disarm me then you stand a pretty good chance of holding your own in battle."

"Thanks, Clarisse," I smiled, hauling the dummies to the corner; they were no longer much use to anyone anymore.

"If you ever need any help with other weapons or battle strategy or tips, let me know. Just don't come around too often because I don't want people getting the idea we're friends or anything."

"No, why would you ever want to be friends with a princess?" I teased.

Before walking out she paused, called over her shoulder, "You're alright, Hancock." Her words stayed with me long after Clarisse's voice drifted away. If it was possible I had another friend and she had one as well.

Life at Camp continued. I even managed to forget about the boy for the most part. On the second day I was on the climbing wall when I glanced down and nearly fell off. Chiron was leading a wide eyed newbie around, pointing things out. He was awake. Compared to two days ago he looked much better, though still a bit weak in the legs.

"Caitlin, stay focused!" Luke screamed from below where he was spotting me. I clambered sideways as a spurt of lava cascaded down. "That's it, keep your feet below your hands. Three points of contact at all times...THREE POINTS OF CONTACT AT ALL TIMES, CAITLIN!" I groaned and swung my feet back onto the rock. When I finally reached solid ground again Luke sighed. "That was slower than the last time. What are we going to do with you?"

"Throw me off the climbing wall?" I suggested. He rolled his eyes with a small smile playing on his lips. I walked down to the canoe lake and let my feet hang off the dock. The naiads sitting on the bottom waved and I waved back. Exausted from nearly being killed several times while rock climbing I lay backwards and closed my eyes.

"Uh, hi," a timid voice said. snapping to a sitting position I wheeled around. The same boy from my dream was standing there, holding a horn.

"Hi."

"Sorry, was I bothering you? You looked like you were asleep."

I stood. "No, its fine. You're new here, aren't you?" I pretended to not know. He nodded. "I'm Caitlin."

"Percy Jackson," he shook my outstretched hand. His dark hair reminded me of a porcupine the way it pointed in all directions. The green eyes set in his face were almost startling, but not in the way Annabeth's were. His held a deep-rooted confidence and were the color of the sea being churned in a storm.

"You'll get used to it here, I promise. I've only been here a couple months." He nodded, not convinced at what I was saying. I couldn't blame him, I felt the same way when everyone first told me I belonged here. The conch horn sounded for lunch. "I got to go. See you later." I gave him a smile and walked away, feeling his gaze on my back.

It was the same: toast to the gods, scrape an offering into the flames, any announcements. I noticed Percy glancing across the pavilion in my direction often. Or maybe he was just staring at the Aphrodite girls.

* * *

Friday afternoon I was stunned when Clarisse asked me to be an ally for capture-the-flag. Normally I was on Annabeth's side. "Yeah," I agreed. "Good," she said and walked back to her siblings. That was new. When Clarisse was giving orders and positions I was sent around the right flank. When the flag came into sight I slowed. Two of the Athena campers were there. Pulling out a net I had woven with weights on the ends I tossed it over one. The other was immediately on guard and drew her sword as I charged out, deflecting my first attack. That was the distraction needed for Charles Beckendorf from Hephaestus to sneak around a seize the flag. Of course, as he was running away he fell over a tripwire and we both were taken prisoner.

I was bored to death when the conch sounded and we were released along with a few other prisoners. Everyone was congregating at the creek. The celebrating of Luke's victory ended with the presence of a hellhound on the rock above. As I watched it leapt and pushed Percy to the ground. Teeth sank into his breastplate. I moved forward but arrows pierced the monster's neck. Then Percy was claimed.

We all kneeled as Chiron announced gravely, "Poseidon, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea god." I was spellbound, though a small twinge of happiness started. I would no longer be the only person who was not supposed to be alive. How lucky was I that Percy Jackson was here?

That question would be answered later.


	8. This is Not Goodbye

With Percy around I was no longer the new person at camp. The occasional side glance was no longer directed at me. I did feel sorry for him because most people were avoiding him. I made a point of being nice, of the wave passing in the green. It wasn't his fault that his dad was lord of the seas and that granted him the abilities he had. Still, the whole healing thing with water amazed me. The way the skin mended itself until not even a scar was left was astounding. I would never cease to be awed by the way dumping a cup of water of his head was reenergizing. Unfortunately, not everyone shared my same viewpoint.

So naturally, when Percy was given a quest it was because his father had been accused of stealing Zeus's master lightning bolt.

Annabeth filled me in the day the storm clouds blocked out the normally sunny sky. She said Percy had accepted a quest to travel to the Underworld and request Hades return the bolt to Mount Olympus by the summer solstice in ten days from now. Grover and her were accompanying him.

"This is the chance I've been waiting for," she said, excitement gleaming in her eyes. "I can finally go on a quest." I nodded and smiled encouragingly, hiding the dread that was building the more I learned of this seemingly impossible mission.

I went with Chiron and Luke to send them off. We all stood at the crest of Half-Blood Hill. "Be careful," I gave Annabeth a final hug.

"I'm not the one you should be worried about," she said, looking over at Percy. "I'll try to keep him out of trouble so we all don't die." I told Grover goodbye and made my way to Percy.

"Good luck." I didn't know what else to say. _If you die on this quest I will be really disappointed._ I stood with Chiron and Luke beside Thalia's tree and watched as the white van bumped down the road. _See you soon._

* * *

I tried to fall into a routine to keep my wandering mind off them but everywhere I looked reminded me of them. The sky was constantly thundering and the ocean crashed against the sand dunes. People were beginning to take sides in anticipation of the upcoming war. Athena, Ares and Apollo cabins were for Poseidon while Athena backed Zeus. I tried my best to stay out of it. As daughter of Hera I would be expected to stand behind Zeus but I was friends with Percy. But Annabeth's cabin was for Zeus...it drove me crazy thinking about any of it. Why do the gods have to be so fussy about everything?

The day of the solstice everyone was constantly watching the sky for any changes from the rolling thunderclouds. Slowly the hours ticked away and by sunset we were still alive and the earth was in one piece. I could only hope they had succeeded.

The next morning I was walking to the dining pavilion and noticed lots of people gathered around. As I got closer I saw what was happening and rushed forward, pushing through the crowd. "You made it! Not that I never believed you would but its nice to know you made it back!" I squeezed Annabeth and Grover in a crushing hug.

"He's the real hero," she said.

Percy smiled sheepishly and I gave him a hug. The three of them were given laurel wreaths to wear and burned their burial shrouds. At the banquet they recounted the quest. Percy finished by saying he went to Olympus and returned the master bolt to Zeus. Everyone was in awe when they finished. It was incredible they accomplished so much in so little time.

At the bonfire that evening I noticed Percy's absence. I found him sitting on the beach. "You did good." He didn't turn but his shoulders tensed ever so slightly.

"Thanks."

I sat beside him and stretched my legs out. "You saved us and got your mom back."

"I suppose so." He stared absently across Long Island Sound. I placed a hand on his arm and he looked down at it. "What you did, most heroes only dream of." With a nod he turned back. "Tomorrow I'm leaving. I am going back home for a while." He fixed me with those green eyes.

"Where is home?" I told him all about Colorado and the mountains and valley that was our backyard. I explained the colors the mountains turned in the mornings and how I would eat breakfast and watch the sunlight slowly fill each crevice in the valley. I talked about camping trips with my dad and how we would sometimes set up the tent and roast hot dogs and marshmallows in the backyard. He closed his eyes as I talked and sighed blissfully. "It sounds beautiful," he said softly.

"All I've ever known is the mountains. What is it like living in the city?" Percy then told me about his mom's apartment in Manhattan and his horrible stepfather Gabe Ugliano-I laughed at the name-whom he had nicknamed Smelly Gabe. His mom worked at a candy store and would bring home a bag of blue candy for him. She wanted to write a novel. She never raised her voice and was the most patient, loving person in the world.

"She sounds wonderful." We sat there in comfortable silence and watched the sunset reflecting on the water. When the conch horn blew signaling curfew we stood and brushed ourselves off. "See you tomorrow," he said when we got to the Zeus cabin.

"See you tomorrow," I smiled and pushed open the doors to Hera's temple. The next morning I packed the things I would be taking home into my backpack, leaving most of the stuff. With one last look around I closed the heavy doors.

Annabeth, Grover, Luke and Percy walked with me to the camp border. "Don't die out there in the real world," Luke ruffled my hair. I told him I couldn't make any promises. He nodded solemnly and I wondered if I said something wrong.

"See you again soon," Annabeth hugged me one last time. Grover patted me on the back.

Percy stuck out his hand, taking me by surprise. "This isn't goodbye," he said. I shook it and with a final look at Camp Half-Blood I walked over to the white van with _Delphi Strawberry Service_ painted on the side. Argus bought a bus ticket for me and I hopped on the next bus. I watched out the window as New York passed. At my side was my spear, which the Mist was presumably covering. One elderly lady sitting across the aisle asked why such a young girl would need a walking stick. I made up a quick lie that I was traveling to see my dad and we were going to go backpacking across Europe. Then I was forced to listen to her stories of traveling around the world in her glory days.

It took nearly two days to reach the mountains outside of Telluride. I was so excited I had difficulty sitting still. Add that to my ADHD and the people around me were getting frustrated. Once off I caught a taxi. The front porch light was on and through the living room window I could see Dad reading a book on the couch. I raised a fist and knocked. A moment later the door opened and I saw the shock, astonishment and delight pass over his face.

"Hi, Daddy, I'm home."


	9. Back to Camp

When I got home I told Dad everything that had happened within the last two months. He pointed to the spear leaning against the couch and asked if I knew how to use that. I was surprised he could see it, for Chiron had mentioned that most mortals only saw what the Mist created. There were some who had the ability to see through the Mist and apparently Dad was one of them. That made it so much easier to share things with him.

I stayed home all through my seventh grade year. My ADHD and dyslexia made public school a struggle but I managed to scrape through. I even ran for class president and won! It was not a huge ordeal but still felt good telling people I was president.

While fighting the occasional monster attack I heard Clarisse's voice yelling tips in my mind. _Keep your form straight! Don't let that left arm drop! Eyes open, Caitlin!_ I discovered my spear could shrink to the size of a paintbrush. That made it so much easier to carry in a purse or backpack. The bracelet never came off my wrist. When posed with the question of why I always wore it I said because it was pretty and matched with everything, which was not a total lie.

School had been out for about a month. I was eating breakfast, watching the mountains—as always—when Dad came in and broke the news. "Where's your favorite camping place?" he asked me.

I thought for a moment. We had been to amazing camping sites. "The mountains a couple hours East; the ones where we cooked popcorn that the bear found."

He nodded slowly. "How would you like to go there again?"

I was so excited I dribbled syrup down my chin; I hastily wiped it away. "Really? You mean it?"

He nodded. I laughed and jumped up to hug him. "When are we leaving?"

"How does tomorrow morning sound? We still need to pack and get someone to watch the house."

I packed my bag in so little time I had the honor of loading the food, chairs and anything else Dad said into the camper. Yippee me. At eight my alarm clock went off and I jumped out, made my bed, and grabbed a warm shower and breakfast. Upon arriving at one of my absolute favorite camping sites we unloaded and I gathered firewood and dug a fire pit. After everything was done, I pulled a jacket on and called through the camper screen I was going exploring.

The woods were beautiful with the quiet sounds of nature and light sifting through leafs. I heard birds chattering between one another, the squeal of a rodent being caught. I found a dead tree leaning at a forty-five degree angle on another. Branches would work as rungs and hand-holds. I ran over and climbed up, using the dead branches as supports. I managed to climb to 9 feet before slipping over the side. If I had not been holding on with one hand and both feet in small knots, I would have fallen a long way. As it was, I scrapped my side badly. I managed to swing my other hand up and grab a branch. It snapped. I grabbed another and managed to haul myself up, trembling but exhilarated. Now I finally appreciated Luke's harping on me to always have three points of contact at all times.

I went back to the tree every day, attempting to break my record.

Three days later I was climbing again. About 12 feet up it began to rain. Not the soft gentle shower, but big drops cascading in a waterfall, one after another. _Get down,_ I told myself, _before you get electrocuted_. On the way down, a howl sliced through the pounding of the rain. I stopped in my tracks, halfway down the dead tree, with my heart racing. I walked into camp, where Dad was putting the chairs away out of the rain. I helped him load everything into the camper. After everything was put up, the two of us climbed in.

It was a small camper that fit on the back of a truck , since there were only two of us. The kitchen and table were at the front, a small couch built into the wall, then a bathroom. The couch folded out into my bed, and Dad's bed was above it in a little notch. A ladder ran up the side of the wall. We sat on the couch and read a book together while Jenny sat at our feet. When we finished the chapter we put the book up. After a while I asked the question that was on my mind. "What was Mom like?"

Dad was silent a moment, watching the rain pound the windows. "She was the most beautiful women I have ever met. You have her long black hair. Her eye color was constantly shifting. My favorite color was the purple; maybe that's why you have purple eyes.

"When you were born it was the happiest day for me." He smiled. "Then one day, shortly after you were born, she left. Just like that, with no note or anything," he said. He always told me this every time I asked.

"There was something about her, like she had something to hide. It seemed she was hiding something from me always. Sometimes she seemed withdrawn. Whenever I asked she always said I couldn't help, that is was beyond my power to help her." This was more than I had ever heard about her.

That night I had a dream of a lotus flower leading me to camp from home. Then it changed to a Pegasus landing before me and flying me to camp. I was taken to camp more ways. The message could not have been clearer.

That morning I woke to toast and bagels on the table. Over breakfast I told Dad about the dreams. "Dad, I need to go to Camp," I finished, not meeting his eyes. We decided to leave about 10:30 or so. By that time we were off, away from the camp, the mountains, and onto the highway, heading for home. After everything was away I went to my room and grabbed my backpack from the closet. I threw extra pairs of jeans and shorts, a couple t-shirts, toiletries, socks, hat, extra sneakers, and my stuffed cow I had since a baby into it.

I walked out into the living room, pulled on my hoodie and hiking boots, and stuffed my phone and wallet into my pocket. The car ride to the train station was silent. We got my ticket and then it was time for the inevitable.

"Bye Dad," I said, forcing back tears.

"Bye honey. Be safe and write," he said, giving me a big hug. I returned it, and with a heavy heart I walked onto the train. The trip to Camp was long and boring. Board a train, sleep, walk, read, look out the window. All the way to Manhattan.


	10. A Lot can Change in a Short Time

**Hey everyone!**

 **Sorry I have not updated for a while...with school starting I have been pretty busy. I am going to plan on updating at least once a week. Maybe over the weekend or on Monday, I am not sure yet. Please don't be upset if I fall behind a tad bit, I will do my best and I don't break my promises! (: Please read and review. Enjoy! (;**

When I finally got off the train in Manhattan, I hailed a cab and drove to a giant hill.

"You sure about this?" the taxi driver asked when I said to stop here, "There's nothing." I nodded and tipped extra so he wouldn't get suspicious, only later thinking that he probably was suspicious about the extra tip. Oh well.

The taxi peeled away and I hiked up the hill. At the top I stood next to a giant pine tree—Thalia's tree. I looked out at the camp: Camp Half-Blood.

"Hey Caitlin," people called as I walked. I stopped by the Big House and told Chiron I was here, then made a beeline to my cabin. While unloading there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, Annabeth stood there. "Hey!" She gave me a giant hug.

"That was really fast; I barely got here."

"Word passed around pretty quickly that you were in," she said. I stepped out and closed the door. We walked around the green and volleyball pit, catching up.

"Any monster attacks?" I asked.

"About six at my dad's," she confessed. "What about you?"

"I think five, counting the one at the train station. What's happened here since I left?"

Her face darkened and she told how Luke tried to kill Percy. He was working for Kronos and was trying to raise him from Tartarus. She relayed the latest quest where Clarisse, Percy and his stepbrother Tyson—who happened to be a Cyclops—and her had traveled to the Sea of Monsters to save Thalia's poisoned pine tree. Grover had been in the clutches of the giant Polyphemus. They saved him and brought the Golden Fleece back to save the tree but it had worked a little too well.

"Thalia was found in the roots of the tree," she concluded.

"Can I meet her?" was the first thing that came out of my mouth.

"Sure." I turned to see a girl with electric blue eyes and spiked black hair standing with her arms crossed. The rips in her clothes and chains hanging from her neck were intimidating; I would have given her lots of space if I saw her anywhere else. "Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus." She smirked as though the title should give her access to whatever she wanted.

"Caitlin Hancock, daughter of Hera," I replied, holding my chin up. Her eyebrows raised into her choppy bangs.

"Really? I heard Hera had a mortal child who was running around but I assumed that was a myth."

"Funny word to use, _myth_. Myths are real around here." She stared daggers at me and I held her gaze, daring her to break away first.

"I like her," she finally grinned. "Caitlin, you said? Glad to know there's somebody else who I can turn the attention to if ever I get in a pinch."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I demanded. She nodded to Annabeth and stalked off. "Nice to meet you, too," I called after her. Thalia raised a hand in acknowledgement.

"Don't mind Thalia's attitude," Annabeth said reassuringly. "She's like that to just about everyone. Once you get to know her she'll open up more." When one of her brothers called her over I was left to wander around alone. While sitting beside the canoe lake someone pushed me in from behind. I came up spluttering and yelling.

"Perseus Jackson!" I yelled and he grinned down from the dock. Splashing him had no effect.

"Welcome back!"

"I don't need to get wet every time I arrive." He laughed as I hauled myself out of the lake, flopping like a fish out of water. We exchanged stories of the school year and I insisted on knowing every detail from the latest quest. It sounded terrifyingly amazing to me and I felt a slight twinge of envy that I hadn't gone on one quest yet. Time would permit, I suppose. I saw Clarisse with her cabin mates and she nodded in my direction. To annoy her I flashed a white-tooth smile and flirty wave.

Dinner was steak with sautéed mushrooms and mashed potatoes and gravy. I have to say that the kitchen naiads do a wonderful job with the food. At the bonfire that evening I sang along and roasted marshmallows, getting more of it on my face than in my mouth. When the conch horn sounded I headed to Cabin 2 and crawled into bed. This first day was much better than my last.


	11. A Simple Task

**Hello there!**

 **I am incredibly sorry for delaying updating. I had a bit of writers block and had difficulty deciding on what would happen this chapter. I hope that extra time writing it paid off and you enjoy it! Thanks for your patience and I hope you like it! Please review (:**

My weeks after returning I became accustomed with the new arrivals, spent time playing tricks on friends with the Stoll twins and dove headfirst into training, determined to someday receive my own quest after hearing about the latest one. Clarisse told me her version of it, where she courageously accepted and traveled into the Bermuda Triangle, fearlessly charging into battle to save Percy, Annabeth and Tyson, then defeating Luke and his army to bring the golden fleece back to Camp Half-Blood. When she finished I sat there in stunned silence, not for the reason Clarisse might think, but because it was nearly a completely different story from the one I had heard before.

"You are truly a hero to us all," I praised. She smirked and held her chin a bit higher the rest of the day.

I became so skilled with my spear that I was asked to teach lessons. That was certainly an accomplishment on my part. It was during one of these trainings with the Demeter cabin that someone came running with a message that Chiron wanted to see me in the Big House. Puzzled I dismissed them early. On the side porch Chiron was reading a book.

"Chiron, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, I have a task that I believe you are well suited for. Since you arrived you have excelled in training and lessons, which was something I considered when choosing someone for this mission." Pride swelled in my chest at his words. "One of our satyrs has found a small group of demigods in Colorado. If you are willing, please find them and bring them back to camp."

"That doesn't sound too hard."

He grinned humorlessly. "There are several monsters and half-bloods on their trail who are closing in. Luke is recruiting demigods to Cronos' side, as you well know. You need to reach them before Luke's army and bring them safely back. I have heard you are aspiring for a quest," he added. My heart thudded as I took in what he was saying.

"Really? Me?" he nodded, awaiting my answer. "I accept," I could not get the words out fast enough.

"You may bring two other campers to accompany you. When you find them pack your bags and meet me at the stable in two hours." I shook my head and walked calmly around the corner then leapt off the porch. I knew exactly who I wanted to bring.

"Percy!" I raced into the sword fighting arena. He turned around, sweat dripping off his face and plastering his shirt to his skin. Breathlessly I relayed the last few minutes. "Will you go with me on my quest?"

"That's not really a quest," he said slowly. I glared at him and huffed. "Fine, it is if you say it is," he shrugged. "Yes, of course I will." I grinned and gave him a quick hug before running off to find Annabeth. She was more supportive than Percy. When I got a definitive yes from her I headed to Cabin 2 and packed my backpack. Considering how simple this is, I shouldn't need much. The wait was brutal: I checked my shield a dozen times, sharpened my spear, braided and rebraided my hair, tightened the laces on my shoes, and walked around Camp. When the two hours were up I hurried to the stable.

Once Annabeth and Percy arrived Chiron gave us more details on who these kids were and where they live. "They are in Grand Junction, not far from your home, Caitlin." It took about three hours to get to Grand Junction when Dad took me there to shop for a Christmas dress a few years ago. "Your transportation will be pegasus, if that is fine with you. These magnificent horses can help you reach your destination in a considerably shorter amount of time.

"Stay safe," Chiron patted my shoulder, "I trust you are more than capable for this task."

"Don't worry," I smiled, "those kids will be here in no time." He gazed sadly at me, probably thinking of all the preceding demigods before me who said those same words and never returned. Percy concentrated and a moment later a black pegasi landed, stomping its hoofs and shaking its mane. I swung a leg over Avalanche, the same one I rode my first day, and Annabeth mounted one named Porkpie. With a final wave to Chiron we took off and circled the camp once before facing west. What would have taken six hours on a plane took about two and-a-half hours on Flying Horse Airlines. We landed on the baseball fields of the middle school. I stroked Avalanche's muzzle and thanked him before the three pegusi took off into the sky, disappearing in the clouds.

Taking a deep breath I led the way. The halls were quiet with everyone in their classes. "What should we do?" I asked.

"Act like we belong here," Annabeth suggested, "and look for Stephen, Lucas and Alisha Braxton."

"I still don't understand why they have to be twins. The scent will attract all sorts of monsters," Percy grumbled.

I laughed, "more than you, being Poseidon's child?"

"We don't know their parent. For all I know, it could be Zeus or Hades!"

"Or Poseidon," I pointed out.

"Where are you three supposed to be?" we all turned simultaneously to see an older woman with dyed-blond hair, dressed in a pantsuit striding up to us.

Percy's mouth flapped uselessly. Quickly I came up with an explanation. "They're new here and my teacher asked me to show them around school. I have a pass here somewhere," I continued, pulling my backpack off and digging through it then patting my pockets. I turned to them and they both shook their heads, saying neither one had the pass.

"Who's your teacher?" she asked impatiently. Her badge read Mrs. Cordova, Secretary.

"Mr. Garcia," I said the first name that came to my mind and hoped there was a Mr. Garcia here. She seemed to buy it and checked her watch.

"Lunch begins in three minutes so I will excuse it this one time. If I ever catch any of you wandering the halls again I will personally call your parents and write you up. Understood?" We nodded and she stalked off.

"Terrifying," Percy whispered as we followed the flood of students to the cafeteria. "Let's please find them quickly and get out of here."

"I don't think it'll be that hard," Annabeth stopped us. "Look."


	12. Not so Easy

Posted on the doors were flyers depicting three people grinning to the camera, proudly holding first place metals. _Congratulations to Alisha, Lucas and Stephen Braxton for their outstanding work on harnessing water to power a microwave!_

"I'm taking a wild guess on who their parent is," Percy said. I stared so intensely at the paper that a hole was almost drilled through it.

"I know those people," I said finally. They both wheeled on me and I held my hands palms up. "I didn't know I know them before now. We went to the same elementary school."

"Then you can introduce yourself, remake friends, fill them in so we can get out of this place," Percy nodded, clapping me on the shoulder. "Good luck." I wove through the crowd of students in the lunch room, scanning each face. I hoped I did not appear as a newbie searching in vain for a place to sit. The room was large, adding to the difficulty of finding three individual people. Everywhere the colors purple and yellow were displayed, along with a tiger on the far wall. After a few minutes a girl asked if I needed somewhere to sit, motioning to the empty seats. When I looked at the way her lips curled upward at the ends and the dirty blond hair that frizzed at the edges I knew instantly who she was.

"Alisha Braxton?" I pretended to be surprised.

She was caught off guard for a few moments, then her face brightened. "Caitlin? OMG, I can't believe this!" She squealed and gave me a hug. "I haven't seen you in, like, forever!" There were brief introductions between me and her friends. "What are you doing here? Are you a transfer student?"

"Its...complicated," I said. _I actually came here to take you and your brothers to the east coast because monsters from the Ancient Greek myths are hunting you down. But don't worry, I promise I'm not kidnapping you. By the way, what's for lunch?_ "Where's Lucas and Stephen?" She jumped up and drug me after her to another table where a loud group of boys were throwing plastic forks at one another.

"Hey, look who I found!" They all turned and two faces stood out. With them side-by-side I was able to note the characteristics between the fraternal twins. All three siblings had the same blond hair and thick eyebrows a few shades darker than their hair, full lips that looked as though they always had a juicy secret, and a light sprinkle of freckles around their noses. Lucas had always been tall and lanky and towered over everyone else, built like a long distance runner. Alisha had a narrower frame that was good in sprints; Stephen looked like he would grow into a football player, possibly a runningback. His dark brown eyes smiled with a mischievous glint. We spent several minutes catching up on the last few years while wandering around.

"You found them," Percy said when he and Annabeth found me. The twins looked between us curiously.

"I need to tell you right now why I'm here," I grimaced. I began by asking about their other parent. They responded by saying they never knew their dad. "Well, we do." Slowly I began explaining, starting with my history. "You three are demigods, children of the Greek gods. This sounds insane-trust me, I know-but there are monsters coming to take you to serve the titian lord, Cronos, who is being raised. We need to get you out of here now, before-" I was drowned out by the squealing of a fire alarm. Students panicked, bolting for the exits as teachers tried to restore calmness in a sea of chaos.

I turned back to them to find three more empty seats at the lonely table we were sitting at in the corner. My head swiveled around while my eyes searched for them. "There!" Annabeth pointed to the janitor closet. A head of frizzy blond hair disappeared inside the door. A tall woman in a pantsuit looked over her shoulder before disappearing into the room.

"I am really starting to hate that woman," Percy grumbled, drawing Riptide. I plucked my spear from the side pocket of my backpack and it expanded. Maybe this was going to be a tad more challenging than I had anticipated.


	13. Rescue the Kids!

**Thanks for your patience with me. I was having some trouble writing this chapter and with everything going on lately I've been a bit busy. If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them. Sorry this is short; I am not sure how long the following ones will be until I figure out where the story is heading right now. Please leave a review and have a spectacular day!**

* * *

We rushed to the storage closet. When I threw myself against the door while trying to turn the handle at the same time, I bounced back. Pain sparked in my shoulder. No matter how much I jiggled the handle the door stayed locked. Annabeth pushed me aside and knelt. Fiddling with a bobbie pin for a few moments there was a click and we stepped in. The shelves were stocked with cleaning supplies, toilet paper and other necessities for a school to stay clean. It was empty.

"Look," Percy squeezed behind the water heater where a narrow door stood ajar. It led to a short hallway in which the only light came from behind us. The stench of mold filled my nose. Another door opened into the afternoon sunlight, momentarily blinding me. On the grass field the students could be seen lining up, the last few classes trickling out of the building. Hoping not to be spotted I took the lead, skirting around the corner in the direction of the parking lot. It seemed the most logical way for Ms. Cordova to take the kids, seeing as any other direction would have bypassed the rest of the school and drawn attention.

"I think we need to split up," I turned to the others. "Try to make it to the road before she has time to escape." They nodded and Percy took the left, Annabeth took the right. That left me the middle of the lot. Ducking from one car to the next I strained to hear any sound. There was a gentle noise I would have failed to catch had I been any further away. It sounded like a door was being closed as quietly as possible. Heart pounding, I ran in the direction, stooping behind an Explorer. There were three people gagged and bound sitting in the bed of a pickup. Ms. Cordova-or whatever her real name was- said calmly, "You can come out, now. No demigod, as sneaky as they may seem, can hide from me." I stepped into view, spear clutched in my left hand.

"Let them go," I demanded. My voice was loud and steady, not displaying anything else I was experiencing. She merely chuckled.

"How brave, but I am afraid the answer is no. You see-"

"Save your breath; I know exactly why you need them and it isn't going to happen, sister."

"Oh, but you have underestimated me. Did you honestly think I would come alone?" Her smirk widened as she watched the realization dawn on me. Annabeth and Percy. _Oh my gosh, what did I put them up to? What did I do, what did I do..._ Anger overpowered fear and I charged, bringing my spear down. If she had not jumped sideways I would have cleanly split her in two. "The last demigod who challenged me lost dearly-actually, the last dozen." I swung again and nicked her arm. Golden ichor slowly trailed down her arm.

As I watched the woman morphed into a snakelike creature. The dracaena hissed and slithered forward, clawed fingers reaching for me. She blocked my thrust and advanced more. I ran to meet her, turning the metal on my bracelet, and bashed her in the face at the last second with my shield. She recoiled and I took the opportunity to drive the point into her torso. With a wail she burst into dust.

I wanted to search for the others but knew my main priority right now were the triplets. Turning slowly I saw the identical look of horror in their eyes. "I told you it was crazy but you needed to believe me. Now do you understand why?" They nodded in unison. I sliced the ropes on their hands and feet and pulled the cloth from their mouths.

"How...what..." Lucas tried to comprehend what just happened.

I cut him off, "Not now. I promise to explain everything better later." Turning on my heel I raced through the rows, searching for the others. Three sets of feet followed behind me, questions flowing unceasingly. I gave a small shriek in surprise when I collided with someone else. I groaned and Percy rubbed his forehead where we bashed together.

"Good, you found them."

"Where's Annabeth?"

"I thought she was with you." We exchanged a look and bolted off. "Annabeth!" we called. The parking lot seemed endless. There were footfalls and she emerged. After checking they were alright I turned to the others. My first instinct was to go to their house and leave a note for their mom if she was not already home while they packed some clothes. But Ms. Cordova had not struck me as a careless lady, even if she was a monster. Most likely she had their home being watched. Our best bet would probably be heading straight back to Camp. I pulled Annabeth and Percy away and explained my train of thought to them.

"But we can't just go all the way back on foot," Annabeth pointed out.

"And we won't have to. All we need to do is get to somewhere I know there'll be help."

"Where?"

I smiled, "my home."


	14. An Unexpected Twist

I sighed and slammed the phone down. Slapping the side of the payphone for good measure I stepped back to where the others were waiting. "No answer," I shook my head. "I left a message, but I suppose we should get going anyways. He may be out for work or doing errands or something." They seemed to accept that. Not convinced myself, we gathered our things as the bus rolled to a stop. I couldn't shake the tight knot feeling in the back of my stomach.

When we boarded the bus I slung my bag onto the luggage rack above and settled into the seat. Annabeth sat beside me and Percy in front of us with Lucas, Stephen and Alisha across the aisle. I leaned my forehead against the window and watched as the lines on the pavement moved past. This has to be the most embarrassing rescue mission ever. I had expected it to be a few hours at most, just slip in, easily convince them that they are in danger and need to come with us, and be back at Camp before dinner. Note to self, nothing is as easy as it seems-especially when you are a demigod. Maybe I'm too young for this, or not trained enough. But Chiron appointed me to this, and if he thinks I can, then there should be no reason I shouldn't be able to. After all, hasn't he been doing this sort of thing for centuries?

Annabeth placed a hand on my knee. "Don't worry about it. This may not be as planned, but everything will turn out alright. By this time tomorrow, we'll be back. Your dad can help us tonight and then we can be on our way in the morning. None of this is your fault," she added, leaning forward to look into my face. I simply shrugged and turned back to the window.

The rhythm of the bus engine and my frustration soon had me nodding off to sleep.

 _In the dream Luke was lounging in a lawn chair on the upper deck of his cruise ship, the Andromeda. A fruity drink rested on the table beside him. The sun reflecting off the pool on the deck and the ocean water surrounding the ship were blinding, even in the dream. When two dracaenas drug a fighting man onto deck he didn't so much as flinch. I, on the other hand, gasped and felt my legs tremble. My father's arms were pinned to his side. Luke pushed his sunglasses onto his forehead._

 _"Hello, Mr. Hancock. It is such a pleasure to finally meet you. Caitlin speaks of you all the time. I apologize for the conditions of our meeting, but I absolutely need you at this moment. You see..." he began pacing. "Caitlin is being incredibly stubborn right now. She refuses to join us, to change the world. But I am sure that with the right motivation she will come to reason."_

 _"You leave her alone." Dad's voice was strong and coated with anger as he glared at Luke, either from the sun or out of spite I couldn't tell._

 _Luke grimaced, "I just can't do that, you see. She is too valuable, with all of that untapped potential. She is going to be very powerful one day. I am sure you must be so proud of her."_

 _"Do not go near her." He struggled against the monsters gripping his arms. "You and your animals leave my daughter alone! Leave her out of this! Let her come home with me!" When Dad's thrashing became too wild for his liking, Luke dismissed him with a flick of the wrist._

 _"Sorry, Mr. Hancock, I wish we could have met under different circumstances. And I'm sure you'll see Caitlin again soon; after all, she should be coming to play hero at any time."_

 **Hello, everybody! I know it has been months since I last updated, please forgive me. I have lost track of this with everything else that has been going on in my life. This is a short chapter; sorry for anyone who was expecting more. I hope you enjoy. My plan is to update again in the near future. Happy Valentines Day! 3**


	15. Anybody Home?

I woke up with thick breathing.

I relayed what I saw to Percy and Annabeth, who tried to calm me down. I was in a terrible state, shaking, eyes swiveling around constantly. The rest of the drive was torture for me. When the bus at long last parked, I bolted down the steps and waited impatiently for the others. I didn't want to wait for a taxi and told them that my house was not far from here. Leading the way I set off at a brisk pace. They could catch up if they wanted to. Right now my number one priority was making sure Dad was alright.

The final bend in the road revealed my home and I ran the length of the driveway, shoved the key into the front door. Everything inside seemed in order when I raced about. I called but the only answer was Jenny loping out of the bedroom, her tail thomping vigorously to see me again. "Hi, girl. Where's Daddy?" Walking into the kitchen I froze.

"Caitlin?" Percy peered around me and picked up the paper and photo that was hanging from the fridge. It was of me as a little girl, hair in pigtails and a toothless grin. That picture had been in Dad's wallet for as long as I could remember and never left it. I didn't need to read the paper to know what it said.

I sunk to the floor clutching my head and cried. I couldn't help it. Alisha and Annabeth tried to comfort me but in vain. Jenny nuzzled my hands and licked my chin. This was my fault. Needing to do something productive before I melted away on the floor in a puddle of my own misfortune, I picked up her food bowl and filled it, not knowing the last time she had been fed. Feeling the slightest bit better, I tilted up my chin and became a good hostess. They were relieved to have someplace to rest and reenergize. The triplets went into the office and called their mom, explaining what happened. Thankfully, she knew that they were half-bloods and it was not as big a shock to find her kids in another town several hours away.

For the rest of the evening we regrouped. Bags were filled with food and water bottles, everyone took showers, and a plan was made to get the siblings back to Camp. I took Annabeth and Percy aside and told them to take the Braxtons back to Camp without me. I was going to find my dad, no matter what. Of course they protested at hearing that.

"No, I am not letting you confront Luke on your own," Percy insisted.

Annabeth tried to shove some reason into me, "Besides, if your dad was in a really bad condition, you couldn't get him and yourself out of there alone while holding back Luke's army at the same time. You need us, let us help."

"I need you two to make sure they get back safely. You need to finish this for me," I begged. After arguing for several minutes they won me over. We explained to Stephen, Alisha and Lucas that the next morning they would go on ahead of us to Camp. At least they didn't argue about it.

That night, the boys crashed in the extra bedroom and I brought Alisha and Annabeth into my room. Alisha was asleep nearly instantly, leaving the two of us to stare at the ceiling. Annabeth shifted in her sleeping bag and rose onto her elbow. "We will find him. Your dad is on Luke's boat; its not that hard to find. Please, Caitlin, this is not your fault," she said for the umpteenth time that day.

"But if I had been here I would have been able to protect him." It felt a bit strange saying that about my father, the person I had always seen as self-sufficient and independent.

"Caitlin, he's an adult. You're just a kid. Get some sleep," she sighed when I didn't answer her. But I could not sleep, no matter how hard I tried. Dad's face kept me awake through the night. At some point I drifted off, only to awake at the break of dawn. Slipping out of the room I pulled on a jacket and sat on the porch to watch the valley wake up. I closed my eyes and bathed in the sunrays. For the time being I could momentarily forget that I was a demigod and my dad was missing and there were five other kids crashing at my house. I was a regular person sitting with my dog watching the morning.

The sliding door opened and closed softly. Percy lowered himself into a chair beside me. For a long time we were silent. "Its so beautiful and peaceful here; I can see why you love the mountains so much. It's different from the city."

"Yeah. Every morning when I watch the sunrise I think of how this is a new day and I can try something new."

He was quiet for another span. "I can get Blackjack and a friend to pick them up whenever you're ready. Then we'll head out for your dad." The way he said _whenever your ready_ made me swell a bit inside. I was being looked at as the leader, even if I was the youngest and least-experienced of the three half-bloods.

By half-after nine we were standing in the driveway, watching as five Pegasus drew nearer. Percy fed Blackjack from a pack of powered donuts found in the pantry. Have you known any winged horse who loves donuts so much? "We'll see you there soon. Blackjack, get them there safely." Blackjack snorted in response as if to say, _of course I will._ Lucas climbed onto the same Pegasus as Alisha (he was afraid of heights). Once they were on their way we mounted the other three. I looked back to see Jenny staring out at us from the window beside the front door.

"I'll bring Dad home soon," I promised before lifting off.


	16. To the Rescue

We soared through the clouds for hours. I rested my head against the Pegasus's neck and closed my eyes, my intention not to sleep but slipping into dreamland anyways. In my dream I saw Dad sitting in a barred cell somewhere below decks. His breathing was shallow and his eyes were slightly open. The ship lurched as it hit a wave and he groaned, hand moving to his head. I wanted to badly to reach out but my arm stayed frozen to my side. _What did they do to you?_

I was pulled back to my body by someone calling, "Caitlin, wake up! We're almost here!" I straightened myself on the back of my flying horse. The coast of South Carolina sped by below us. By straining my eyes I could just see the outline of an expensive-looking yacht on the horizon. We flew in that direction. My heart thumped faster the closer we approached. What if they were waiting for us? What if they had Dad somewhere else or what if he was... _Stop it right now_ , I internally slapped myself. _Focus._

Nobody was on deck when we gently landed. The three Pegasus took off again as quickly as possible. I couldn't blame them, really. Percy and Annabeth took the lead, seeing as how they had been on this boat before. Neither of them seemed pleased to be back. We ran into nobody as we navigated the stairwells and corners. Everything about this felt wrong. We were obviously walking straight into a trap, but options were limited at this point.

Stealthily we descended to the lower deck. Little light penetrated down here but the cells lining the walls could still be seen. About halfway down one of them was occupied.

"Dad!" I hissed. He was leaning against the opposite wall in the same position as my dream. His eyes slowly focused and he sat up straighter.

"Caitlin? Is it really you?"

My voice cracked, "Its really me." Annabeth picked the lock with her knife and the door swung open. I waited with bated breath for alarms to sound or feet to clomp down the steps. Nothing happened. Percy and I each took a side and together hoisted my dad onto his unsteady feet. He leaned heavily on us as we led him to freedom.

Freedom lasted until the top deck.

That was when we found ourselves surrounded by monsters and demigods alike. They all carried weapons pointed at us. I gulped and shifted my spear in my hand. There was no way we could take on all of them at once and protect Dad at the same time. A break formed in their circle and Luke stepped up to us, smiling as though we had just arrived for a dinner party. "I was beginning to worry you wouldn't come." He was dressed in a white polo with khaki pants and loafers. Sunglasses had been pushed to the top of his head. The only thing wrong with him (besides the whole trying-to-bring-down-the-gods thing) was the scar running down his face.

"Let us go, Luke," I growled. He looked taken aback.

"What, no hellos? Personally, I am glad to see that the three of you are fine."

"Cut the crap," Percy snarled. "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything from either of you. But Caitlin-" he turned to me "-I have a proposition for you."

"What kind of proposition?" I asked warily.

"All of you can leave if you pledge allegiance to Cronos and his army." The expression on my face probably looked like I had been slapped. This guy really was insane. But then I glanced at the assembled monsters. How else would we get out of here alive if Luke did not let us?

"Why me?" I stalled.

He shook his head sorrowfully. "Oh, Caitlin, there is so much you do not understand. These two have made it quite clear they are against me. I cannot reach Talia or else I am sure she would join me. But if the daughter of Hera, queen of the heavens, joined me, think of how powerful we could be! Cronos would rule and we would have a place beside him in the new era. That is what you want, to be respected and looked up to?"

I bit my lip. I did crave respect from everyone, even those whom I did not know.

"No," Annabeth said, grabbing my arm. "He's tricking you. Don't listen to him. Cronos will destroy everything."

"Annabeth's right," Percy added, "he won't care about his followers. Do not do this. You are respected already."

I looked into each of their eyes, then up to Dad. He was barely hanging on. "Its your choice, but I highly recommend not accepting this offer," he heaved.

I exhaled, thinking rapidly, then sprung on the first bright idea that came to mind. "I will make you a different deal," I ventured. Luke's eyebrow rose. "If you leave my family alone, I will stay neutral. I won't fight for either side but I will not go to Camp either." It broke my heart saying that. Percy's eyes were wide and Annabeth pleaded with me but I refused to listen.

Luke paced, deep in thought. At last he stopped. "Well, I suppose this is the best I can hope to get, isn't it? Alright, deal."

"If you keep your word, then I will keep mine, I swear on the River Styx," I promised. We shook hands. "And you also have to let us all go free," I added hastily.

He clucked his tongue. "I can't do that. You and your dad may go, but not those two," he nodded to Annabeth and Percy.

Percy leaned close to my ear. "Get him out of here. We've got this." I started to argue but he gave me a shove. Annabeth calmed my frantic look with a nod. I bit my lip but went along. Whatever they were doing, they didn't need me in the way. The crowd parted as I led Dad to the railing. A small motorboat was following the yacht by a rope, peacefully bobbing in the water. Painstakingly, I lowered Dad into it and then myself. The whole time it was silent.

"I'll see you soon," I called to my friends. Then I started the engine and we were off in the direction of shore. Tears sprung to the corners of my eyes and I brushed them away with the inside of my wrist. When I turned around, there was a great commotion on board. Two Pegasus were soaring into the sky. Spears were thrown into the air but came back to the deck uselessly. I raised a hand and Percy and Annabeth did so in response.

Only then did I realize I had not thanked them for everything they did for me.

"Thank you," I said but they could not hear me.

 **I know, it has been a really long time since I last updated. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, even though it is not my favorite.** **Now Caitlin is out of the action, right? Wrong! But I'll leave it for the next update.**

 **Please review; I really appreciate any helpful feedback that could improve my writing. Thanks! :)**


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